Tarascon and Laon

As we’ve been to Provence pretty often, we’ve visited most of the tourist hot spots. But we’d never been to Tarascon. So we decided to go and investigate.

It’s about an hour’s drive from where we were staying, on the Rhone, which is a very substantial and very industrial river, with the castles of medieval robber barons perched on rocky hills all along it. Tarascon was the favourite residence of Rene of Anjou, who was something more than a robber baron – he had land all over the Mediterranean. He had various elaborate festivities here though, and the castle was really good. Loads to see - there were fascinating graffiti in the dungeons, some showing Mediterranean galleys.

Tarascon castle

The town has lots of old mansions and a very unusual Roman style arcaded street, but is quite down at heel. I don’t quite know why towns with apparently less going for them are slickly, smoothly touristy, and this one isn’t.

The Tarasque

They even have a legend, of the Tarasque, a monster which crept out of the river and ate people.  Like the Lambton Worm – but instead of being vanquished by “brave and bold Sir John”, who kept the bairns from harm by making halves of the famous Lambton worm, the monster was prayed over by St Marthe, which, you have to admit, is less satisfying as a story.

On the journey home, we stopped overnight at Laon, and spent the following morning looking round. (If we had anticipated the dreadfulness of the M1, we might have set off earlier, but that’s another story.)

We’ve seen Laon perched on its hill every time we go along the autoroute, and it really was worth stopping. There is a brilliant little cable car, a sort of funicular, but tiny, to take you up into the old town, which was fun in itself.

The "Poma" - the cable car

Laon was the Carolingian capital, and very important. The cathedral is large and bare, early Gothic – completed in 1230, with a spectacular nave and towers. It also has a lot of thirteenth century stained glass remaining. It was behind the German lines in the First World War, and was used by the Germans as a military hospital, so it wasn’t shelled.

The great west doors of Laon cathedral.

The thirteenth century glass

There’s also a twelfth century pilgrim’s hospital, a huge thirteenth century Bishop’s Palace, and many ancient houses for the churchmen associated with the important medieval university. Abelard studied here. And there’s a twelfth century octagonal chapel for the Knights Templar.

Ninth century font in the cathedral

Chapel of the Templars

Bishop's Palace

It’s all just a bit seedy, although we definitely felt it’s going up in the world. The Bishop’s Palace houses the law courts, and the old houses are mostly occupied by lawyers and such things as victim support and the probation service, so there were some pretty dodgy characters hanging around, but also some very tempting and smart restaurants. So a really very interesting place to break the journey, and a success.